Marie Flemming, Thank You ~ Gatherings from Ireland # 345

Marie Flemming, an Irish woman with heart, soul, courage and conviction, died this morning.

It is seldom that I get one of those ‘Stop all the clocks …’ feelings but when I heard about Marie Flemming’s passing, as I drove home from Waterford around 11am, I felt, and still feel that we owe this woman so much for her efforts to bring greater humanity to this country of ours.

In short, Marie, who had Multiple Sclerosis, fought an immense legal battle for the right to die. Even though she lost her cases in both the High Court and the Supreme Court, she has undoubtedly paved the way for greater debate and hopefully eventual resolution of this highly sensitive matter. http://iti.ms/1jouzLS

Today, my heart goes out to her beloved partner, Tom Curran, and all her family and friends.

Rest in Peace, Marie, and thanks for your strength and mammoth efforts.

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Author: socialbridge

I am a sociologist and writer from Ireland. I have worked as a social researcher for 30 years and have had a lifelong passion for writing.
My main research interests relate to health care and I love to write both non-fiction and poetry.
View all posts by socialbridge

This debate is ongoing here in Canada, too, Jean. I feel we often don’t ask the right questions; instead of thinking we must keep people alive at all costs (usually theirs and their familiies’), why don’t we ask, “who am I to decide that another person must undergo extreme suffering past what they are willing to bear?” We all have the right to make choices in our lives and the choice to let go of a life should be one of them. To me, this is not the same as euthanasia. We cannot decide to end another’s life, but why can’t they decide? Thanks for this post. We all need to consider these points. ~ Linne